Salford Construction Firm Fined for Safety Breaches
A construction firm has been fined following an incident in which a 54 year old worker suffered severe cement burns to his knees.
Incident
On 26 November 2014, an employee of DLP Services (Northern) Limited, knelt in unset concrete in order to manually complete the laying of concrete flooring in a domestic bungalow. This resulted in the worker suffering from severe cement burns to his knees, resulting in 12 days in hospital and on-going treatment.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the risks had not been adequately assessed by the firm and suitable control measures to prevent employees’ skin coming into contact with the wet concrete had not been implemented. The HSE’s investigation also found that there were no welfare facilities on site and that DLP Services (Northern) Limited had not provided suitable Personal Protection Equipment.
Sefton Magistrates’ Court heard that previously, in June and September 2014, the firm had been served with HSE Improvement Notices regarding the lack of welfare facilities available to employees.
Sentencing & Fines
DLP Services (Northern) Limited of Cobden Street, Brindle Heath Industrial Estate, Pendleton, Salford admitted breaching section 22(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. The construction firm was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £1,590 in costs.
HSE inspector Anne Foster said:
“The injuries the employee suffered were entirely foreseeable and avoidable had the company implemented suitable controls, such as the use of long-handled tools, or the provision of suitable chemical resistant PPE. It is also wholly unreasonable to expect workers to travel four miles to find welfare facilities.”
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Source: Health & Safety Executive
